Sealed door for a compartment having a controlled environment



Aug. 28, 1962 P. c. TREXLER 3,050,791

SEALED DOOR FOR A COMPARTMENT HAVING A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT Filed March 31, 1958 INVENTOR.

PH/L/P C. Tee/ 4 5e.

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in Mrs This invention relates to a sealed door for a compartment having a controlled environment, and more particularly to a door for a room or chamber adapted to contain biological specimens in a germ-free atmosphere or in an atmosphere of controlled nature.

The primary object of this invention is to provide a novel and simple sealed construction by means of which a sealed condition at a door opening and around a door may be maintained and the sealed condition thereof may be continuously observed.

A further object is to provide a door seal effected by liquid sealing means, releassably maintained continuously around the door opening between lapping portions of I a door and a chamber structure and which seal may be readily eifectuated and readily broken at the will of the operator.

A further object is to provide a device of this character wherein a chamber has a door opening, below which is located a liquid reservoir, and a door is mounted in overlapping relation to span said door opening with its lower end extending into the liquid contained in said reservoir, and with its inner face provided with seals adapted to contact said chamber and outline a passage continuously around said door opening and in communication with said liquid in said reservoir, and also in communication with an overhead means for drawing a partial vacuum, whereby liquid may be drawn from said reservoir into and through said door-surrounding-passage outlined by said seals so as to provide a continuous liquid seal between the overlapping portions ofsaid chamber and said door.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specification.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary face view of a chamber illustrating a door mounted in operative closing position relative to a door opening and associated with means for drawing a sealing liquid into a sealing space between said door and chamber around the door opening;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional fragmentary view taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIG. 1 and illustrating a modified construction of the invention; and

FIG. 4.is a fragmentary vertical. sectional view illustrating a modified embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing which illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral designates the wall of a housing, casing, enclosure or other structure having therein a compartment for the storage of biological specimens under desired or controlled conditions or for other use. .The structure may be provided with suitable access means (not shown) f r introducing food and watertherein without destroying the desired atmosphere thereof, and may be provided with means (not shown) for supplying filtered air thereto and withdrawing evacuated air therefrom, and may be provided with means (not shown) for sterilizing the same, as by use of a spray of germicidal liquid or by any other means, all as well understood in the art relating to germ-free apparatus and, therefore, unnecessary to be shown herein. The structure is provided with an Patented Aug. 28, 1962 access door opening 12 in one wall thereof, which door opening is preferably of a size to permit passage of an attendant therethrough. Also, it will be understood that the door opening 12 may be formed in a wall leading into an access chamber, or in a wall which separates a specimen-containing chamber from an access chamber in structures wherein a Worker first enters an access chamber in a diving suit or other sealed garment, seals the access chamber, and sterilizes the exterior of the garment and the interior of the access chamber before opening the closure. for the opening 12 leading to the specimen chamber 14. The structure with which the present inventionmay be used, and the nature and arrangement of the chambers of the structure or apparatus, may be similar to that illustrated in my patent 2,705,489, dated April 5, 1955.

Within the specimen-container chamber 14 I provide a liquid-containing reservoir adjacent to the door opening, the same constituting a wall 16 preferably extending parallel to the Wall 19 and spaced therefrom at the door opening 12, and walls 1% connecting the walls 10 and 16, the same being mounted upon the floor v2t of the chamber 14. An outer liquidcontainer includes a wall 22 preferably parallel to the wall 10, and walls 24 extending between the walls 22 and 10 and mounted upon the floor 26 of the chamber exterior of the chamber 14. A germicidal liquid 23 is contained within the container, reservoir or moat defined by the walls 16, 18, 22 and 24, as best seen in FIG. 2, filling the same to any desired or necessary height or elevation, said liquid reservoir thus extending partly Within and partly exteriorly of the chamber 14.

A door panel Gil is adapted to be releasably mounted to span the opening 12 with the margin thereof overlapping the wall 10 around the opening 12 substantially uniformly. The door panel 30 may rest upon blocks '32 within the reservoir to hold it spaced above the bottom of the reservoir and thereby permit a flexible air hose 34 leading to a diving suit worn by an attendant to be passed under the door and through the germicide 28, as best seen in FIG. 2. Any suitable means, such as clamps 36 or brackets, may be employed to hold the door panel 30 in operative position, spanning the door opening 12 and in spaced substantially parallel relation to the wall 10, as hereinafter explained.

The door panel 50 will preferably be formed of light Weight material, such as foam styrene or other unicellular plastic of light Weight characterized by rigid construction and by non-communicating cells, so that the door is not porous, or of other non-porous material. Alternately, a door formed of porous material may be covered with an inner face sheet of solid non-porous material, or the door may be completely encased within such a non-porous sheath.

To span the space between the lapping portions of the door 30 and wall 19, and preferably carried by the inner face of the door, are two spaced projecting seals 49 and 42, said seals extending around the sides and across the top of the door with their lower ends immersed within the germicidal material v2% within the reservoir. The seal strips 41 and 42 may constitute separate elongated rubber sealing strips suitably adhered, anchored, or otherwise carried by the door 39 or by the wall 10, or the sealmay constitute a member of U-shaped cross-section, as illustrated in FIG. 3 at 44. In the seal 44 shown in FIG. 3, ribs 40 and 42 project from the face of the seal 44 in spaced relation and into contact with the opposite member of the pair consisting of door 30 and wall 16. In both constructions the space between the seal members .49, 42, or 40', 42 communicates with the reservoir and is open to the liquid contained therein.

.A conduit 50 is preferably mounted by the wall A above the opening 12 and includes an end portion passing "through an opening 52 in the wall 10 and opening into eommuication with the's'pace or passage between the seals 40, 42, as'Tb'es't seen-in FIG. 2. The conduit stlpreferably 7 extends externally of-the chamber 14 through a second opening '54 and has interposed therein at a level. above ing positive pressure, or suction means as illustrated the assage between seals 40 and 42 a sight opening 56 in the nature of a transparent gauge portion which permits viewing of the level of liquid contained within the conduit 50. The conduit 50 communicates with a suction pump 58 Many suitable charactenshown schematically herein, and-a control 'valve 60 is interposed in the conduit 50 between the pump 58 and the sight opening 56.

V In the use of the device, assuming'that the door 30'is removed so as to permit-access of the worker clad in a diving suitinto the chamber 14, or his exit or passage 'from that chamber, the door will have been removed from 1 the brackets 36'by the attendant by merely lifting the same free andclear of those brackets 36. When the 'chamber 14 is again to be closed or sealed,'the door 39 '-is replaced into the position illustrated *in the drawings hereof with the seals 40,42, or'40, 42 in continuous contact with the door 30 an'dthe wall 10 around the 'opening 12. Thereupon,--the pump '58 may be operated to create a suction in the conduit 50 and in the passage between the door and the Wall 10'which is outlined'by the spaced seals 40,42. This suction draws the liquid germicide 28 through the passage between the seals 40, 42

and into the conduit 50. The'operator may view the level which theg'ermicide reaches at thesight'opening 56 and may control the v'alve'60 to stop the further suction draught of liquid'toward the pump when liquid appears I at the sight opening 56. Since the sight opening 56 is above the level of the door, it will be apparent thatgermicide will fillthe space between the seals 4a, 42' continuously around the-door,' and a positive liquid seal willbe effected between thedoor and the chamber wall 10. Such a positive liquid seal will insure'the maintenanceof the desired controlled environment within the chamber 14 as long as the liquid remains at'a level visible at the sight opening 56. Attendantswill observe the levelof the liquid at the sight opening '56'and, if that level should begin' to fall or any other evidence of destruction of the liquid scal may appear, the valve 60 maybe manipulated to again draw-liquid-to the level of the gauge 56 by operation of thepumpSS. v f

When the door is to be opened, the valve 60 maybe opened while the pump 58 is not operating, thus permitting the liquid in the sight gauge 56, the conduit SO-and the space between the door and the chamber between the seals 40 and 42 to be evacuated. f Thereupon, the door maybe removed. It is preferred to connect an air filter (not shown) in the conduit 50, as at the exhaust of pump a 58 'define a'pass'age 80 between the lapped portionsof the door and wall at the lower part of the door, 'the same being preferably carried by the door to project therefrom and engage the wall 10. The seals 76 and 78 extend in contact withfithe lower endsof the seals 40, .42 and cooperate therewith to define a continuous passage surround ing the 'door opening 12 to provide a continuous seal. Suitable means are provided to either force liquid from the chamber 70 to fill the passa'ge around the door open 'of the and described above, may be provided to draw the liquid from the container 70 to fill the sealing strips. V a

.Whilethe preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated anddescribe'd, it will be understood that 3 changes the construction may be made within the scope appended claims without departing from the spirit of the invention.

I claim;

1. In combination, a' wallhaving an opening, a liquid container at the lower end of said opening, a doorpanel,

larger than said opening, means positioning said door in spaced relation to said wall Withits lower portion 'mersed in liquid in said container and with its top and.

side margins lapping said wall around said opening, seal means defining an inverted U -shaped passage around said opening betweenthe lappedportions of said door and 7 wall, the ends of said,passagecommunicating with said.

container, a conduit communicating with the upper portion of said passage, a suction pump in saidconduit, and

means between said pump and passage for 'closing saidconduit. t

2. In combination, a wall having an opening, a liquid container at the lower endrof said opening, a door panel larger than said opening, means positioning said door in spaced relation to said wall with its lower portion im-' mersed in liquid in said container and with its top and side margins lapping said wall around said opening-seal means defining an inverted U-shaped passage around said 7 opening between the lapped portions of said door and wall,the ends of said passage communicatingwith said 7 container, a conduit communicating with the upper por- Inthis construction the openingv 12 in V tion of saidpassage, a suction pump in said conduit, and

a valve in said conduit'between said pump and passage. t

3. In combination, a wall having an opening, a liquid 7 container at the lower end ofsaid opening, a door panel larger than said opening, j means positioning said door in spaced relation to said'wall with its lower portion I immersed in liquid in said container and with its top" and side margins lapping said wall around" said opening, seal means defining an inverted U-shaped passage around I "said opening between the lapped" portion of said door and wall, the ends of said passage communicating with said container, a conduit communicating with;theupper portion of said passage and including a portion positioned at a level above said passage, said conduit including a transparent portion, and means for filling saidpassage and conduit with fluid to atleast thelevel of said transparent conduit portion. 7 V p 4. In combination, a wall having an opening, a liquid container at the lower end of said opening, a door panel larger than said opening, means positioning saiddoor in spaced relation to saidwall with its lower portion'immersed in liquid in said" container and with its top and side margins lapping said wall around said opening, seal -means defining an inverted U-shaped' passage around said opening between the lapped portion of said 'door and wall, the ends of said passage communicating with 7 said container, a conduit communicating with the upper 1 portion ofsaid -passage, a suctionpump in said conduit, transparent 'gauge means interposed'in said'conduit at a level above the passage, and means between said pump and said gauge'for closing said conduit.

5. In combination, an enclosurefor a controlled en- 1 vironment including a wall having an opening, a liquid container atthe lower end of said opening, a door panel larger than said opening, means releasably positioning said door inspaced relation to said, wall with 'its lower portion immersed in liquid in said container and withits top and 'sidemargins lapping said wall around said opening, seal means defining an inverted U-shaped passage around said opening between the lapped portions of said door and wall, the ends of said means extending into said container, and means for fillingsaid'passage with passage between the 7 liquid, said container constituting a moat open to atmosphere at its top and having a portion thereof located at each or" the opposite sides of said Wall.

6. In combination, an enclosure for a controlled environment including a Wall having an opening, a liquid container at the lower end of said opening, a door panel larger than said opening, means releasably positioning said door in spaced relation to said wall with its lower portion immersed in liquid in said container and with its top and side margins lapping said Wall around said opening, seal means defining an inverted U-shaped passage around said opening between the lapped portions of said door and wall, the ends of said passage communicating with said container, means for filling said passage with liquid, and means positioning the bottom edge of said door spaced above the bottom of said container.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

